Washboard



(No Model.) 7 H. PURGELL.

WASHBOARDL No. 497,342. Patented May 16, 1893,.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY PUROELL, OF NEW MADRID, MISSOURI.

WASHBOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 497,342, dated May 16,1893.

Application filed January 16 To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY PURCELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at New Madrid, in the county of New Madrid and State ofMissouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inWashboards; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to wash-boards, and its object is to provide a wash-board, in which the rubbing surface may be rigid or movable, and toprovide a board 'which may be reversed for use on either side. Itsrubbing surface is adapted to be made rigid so that heavy articles, suchas blankets, may be thoroughlyrubbed andcleansed. Therubbing surface isalso adapted to be made movable so that such articles as underwear,shirts, and the like may be rubbed without danger of tearing off thebuttons and other attachments.

To these ends myinvention consists of certain features of constructionto be hereinafter described and then specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of my improvedwash-board, and Fig. 2 is a section on line oc-a; thereof.

a, a, indicate the side-bars of the washboard, and'b, b, upper and lowertie-rods,respectively, whereby the side-bars are connected to provide arigid frame. The sidebars of the frame may be moved toward or from eachother by means of two pairs of nuts, 0 and d, on the screw-threaded ends6 of the upper tie-rod. The nuts a screw against the outer sides of theside-bars a, a, and the nuts (1 against their inner sides.

On the screw-threaded ends f of the lower tie-rod b are two pairs ofnuts g, h, similar to the nuts on the upper tie-rod. Nuts g screwagainst the outer sides of the side-bars, and nuts h against their innersides. By means of the inner set of nuts the side-bars are held frominward movement, and by means of the outer set they are held fromoutward movement, and all parts of the frame held rigid. By properadjustment of the nuts the sidebars may be adjusted inwardly oroutwardly.

1893. Serial No. 458,545- (No model.

Spindles 2' project from one of the side-bars, being fixed securelytherein, but the other side-bar is not secured thereto, it beingprovided with openings to receive their free ends. Part of Fig. 1 isbroken away to show this construction, the end j of the upper spindlebeing fixed to the side-bar a, and the free end is, being received by anopeningl in the side-bar a. Fitted on these spindles o is a series ofcylindrical sleeves or rollers m, their internal diametersbeingconsiderably larger (shown abouttwice as large) than the diametersof the spindles. This construction permits the sleeves or rollers tofreely turn on the spindles when desired. When the sidebars a, a, areadjusted inwardly by means of the nuts, they are forced against the endsof the sleeves or rollers m, and the latter cannot turn, whereby a rigidrubbing surface is provided. The outward adjustment of the sidebarswithdraws them from contact with the ends of the sleeves orrollers, sothat they are permitted to turn freely, and provide a rolling or movablerubbing surface.

Having thus describedmy invention, what I claim as new is-- 1. Awash-board comprising side-bars, tierods connecting the side-bars,adjusting nuts on the tie-rods located on the opposite sides of andfor'adjusting the side-bars in or out, and sleeves or rollers on thespindles, adapted to-be fixed against rotation or permitted freemovement according to the adjustment of the side-bars substantially asset forth.

2. A wash-board comprising side-bars, tierods connecting the side-barsand provided with screw-threaded ends, nuts on said ends for adjustingthe side-bars, spindles fixed to one of the sidebars, and disconnectedfrom the other, and sleeves or rollers on the spindles, adapted to befixed against rotation or permitted free rotation by the properadjustment of the side-bars substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof Iaflix mysignaturein presence of two witnesses.

HENRY PUROELL.

Witnes'ses:

GEO. L. WHEELOCK, S. A. TERRY.

